This Chicken Gyro Recipe is made with a smooth, creamy tzatziki sauce and tender bites of flavorful chicken and fresh veggies. Make this easy meal any night of the week for a homemade version of a restaurant favorite.
If you love these chicken gyros, check out some of my other reader favorite Greek recipes, like this Chicken Souvlaki and this Greek Salad!
Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love This Chicken Gyro Recipe
- What Is a Gyro?
- Recipe Ingredients
- How to Make Greek Chicken Gyros
- Watch How This Chicken Gyro Recipe Is Made
- Tips & Recipe Variations
- Topping Ideas
- Serving Suggestions
- Can I Make This Chicken Gyro Recipe in Advance?
- How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- Can I Freeze Chicken Gyros?
- More Easy Chicken Dinner Ideas
- Get the Recipe
Why You’ll Love This Chicken Gyro Recipe
It’s easy to think that chicken gyros are something you can only get in a restaurant, but they’re actually one of my favorite healthy meals to make at home. Here’s why:
- Bursting with flavor. Homemade greek seasoning, zesty lemon juice, and tangy white wine vinegar create a savory marinade for the chicken that you’ll absolutely love!
- Perfect textures. Juicy chicken, soft pita bread, crunchy red onion, fresh tomato, and creamy tzatziki sauce make every bite of these chicken gyros divine.
- Easy. It does take the marinade a while to do its magic in the fridge, but the rest of the steps are really quick and easy! It’ll take you about 15 minutes to grill the chicken, and 10 more to put everything together.
What Is a Gyro?
A gyro is a Greek pita sandwich traditionally made with lamb meat that has been cooking in front of a slowly spinning vertical rotisserie. When the meat is finished cooking, it is thinly sliced and served in pita bread along with red onions and tomatoes, and topped with tzatziki sauce. You can also add some of your other favorite fresh ingredients, like lettuce or cucumbers. In this chicken version, we like to grill the meat for optimal flavor.
Also, in case you were wondering, gyro is pronounced “Yee-Roh” not “Jy-Roh.” I always felt so awkward ordering these at a restaurant before I knew how it was actually pronounced. Now we both know!
Recipe Ingredients
Chicken gyros themselves are made with a handful of relatively simple ingredients. Options for toppings, however, can be quite extensive! More on that below, though. For now, here are a few quick notes. (If you’re looking for precise quantities for each ingredient, check out the recipe card below!)
- Chicken – I recommend using boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs can also be used.
- Olive Oil – If you prefer canola or vegetable oil, those will work, too.
- Vinegar – I like to use white wine vinegar, but red wine vinegar can be substituted. Keep in mind that the latter option has a stronger flavor, though.
- Garlic – Freshly minced garlic is best, though store-bought minced garlic will work in a pinch.
- Greek Seasoning – If you have time, definitely try out this authentic Homemade Greek Seasoning!
- Lemon Juice – Freshly-squeezed lemon juice provides the strongest, boldest flavor.
- Salt & Pepper – Taste test the marinade before you toss these in and adjust the amount added accordingly.
- Pita Bread – I’m a big fan of this Easy Homemade Pita Bread! You can totally keep it simple though, and buy it from the store, if you like.
- Tzatziki Sauce – Homemade Tzatziki Sauce is so easy to prepare, and totally worth the extra effort.
How to Make Greek Chicken Gyros
Greek chicken gyros come together in just a few simple steps. That said, they’re so tasty, and always impressive to guests even though they require very little effort on the part of the chef!
At any rate, here’s the quick step-by-step guide for this chicken gyro recipe (scroll on down to the recipe card below for the full directions):
- Make the marinade. Combine the olive oil, white wine vinegar, garlic, Greek seasoning, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a ziplock bag and shake well. Then, add the chicken and let it marinate for 6 hours (or overnight) in the fridge.
- Grill the chicken. Remove the chicken from the marinade, thread it onto some skewers, and grill (on a grill pan or outdoor grill) until the meat is cooked through.
- Assemble the gyros. Remove the chicken from the skewers and serve it wrapped in warm pita bread with your chosen toppings!
Watch How This Chicken Gyro Recipe Is Made
Tips & Recipe Variations
Easy peasy, right? Before you begin, though, I’ve got a couple of tips, tricks, and possible substitutions to share with you about this chicken gyro recipe:
- Don’t skip marinating the chicken. I know sometimes it’s hard to plan ahead, but this step is very important for the overall flavor and tenderness of the chicken.
- Warm your pitas before you put any toppings on them. Warm pita bread is easier to work with when it comes time to wrap your gyro. You can warm them wrapped in a damp towel in the microwave or in a pan.
- Substitutions for pita bread. For a low carb option, skip the bread and use a couple of large lettuce leafs instead. Or, turn your gyro into a salad by trading the pita bread for a bed of lettuce, and add everything else on top of it. I have a great Greek Salad Dressing that you can use if you go this route!
Topping Ideas
I love that a Greek gyro can be personalized with topping choices – everyone can have something that they love. Below are the most typical toppings found on a chicken gyro:
- Tomatoes
- Red Onion
- Lettuce
- Tzatziki
If you are feeling adventurous, here are some fun ideas to help you make your gyro unique:
- Feta cheese
- Radishes
- Olives
- Hummus
- Artichoke hearts
- Cucumbers
- Diced avocado
- Parsley
- Roasted chickpeas
Serving Suggestions
Not sure what to serve with a chicken gyro? There are a ton of great options! Here are some of my favorites:
- Salad – You could try the Greek salad linked above, or check out this Chickpea Salad, bursting with colorful veggies!
- Hummus – Save some toasted pita bread to dip in this Easy Homemade Hummus.
- More Veggies – Toss some more fresh, crisp veggies on the side of your gyros! These Sautéed Green Beans With Garlic would be a good choice.
Can I Make This Chicken Gyro Recipe in Advance?
It’s definitely possible to prep the chicken for this gyro recipe in advance! Meal prep the chicken ahead of time and place it in a freezer-friendly ziplock bag with the marinade, and freeze it for later. When you are ready to make the chicken, pull it out of the freezer and let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight. By doing this, you are also marinating the chicken as it thaws. All you have to do the next day is cook it!
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
Definitely save any leftover marinated chicken, pita bread, or tzatziki sauce! They’ll make for a great lunch or light dinner later on.
- To store. Cooked chicken gyros can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Store the chicken and the pita bread separately.
- To reheat. When it comes time to eat again, reheat the chicken and the bread separately, so the chicken doesn’t make the bread soggy while it is warming up. Add the warm chicken to the warm pita bread and top it with lettuce, tomato, red onion, and your other favorite toppings.
Can I Freeze Chicken Gyros?
The rest of the ingredients will need to be served fresh, but the chicken can be frozen. Freeze your cooked chicken for up to 3 months in an airtight container, then thaw it in the fridge, and reheat it in the microwave.
More Easy Chicken Dinner Ideas
You can never have too many easy chicken dinner ideas on hand! Here are a few more:
- Crockpot Chicken Tacos
- Grilled Rosemary Honey Mustard Chicken
- Creamy Chicken Florentine
- Pico de Gallo Chicken
- The Best Baked Chicken
Chicken Gyros
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, in bite size pieces
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 4 large garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tablespoons Greek Seasoning
- Juice of 1 large lemon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Gyro:
- Pita bread
- Lettuce
- Tomato
- Red onion
- Tzatziki sauce
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a ziplock bag and shake well to mix.
- Add chicken and shake to ensure the marinade is covering chicken Allow to marinate in refrigerator overnight, or for at least 6 hours.
- Remove chicken from marinade, and toss leftover marinade. Thread chicken onto skewers and grill until cooked thoroughly on an outdoor grill or on a stove top grill wiht pan.
- Remove chicken from skewers and serve wrapped in warm pita bread with lettuce, tomato, red onion and Tzatziki sauce.
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